Gradual Feelings
by Drakojana
Summary: Alternis wasn't sure how it happened. First, he thought he disliked Edea. But gradually, he realised he grew fond of her. Perhaps, too fond.


Alternis wasn't sure when exactly it happened.

She had always been around him, ever since the Templar brought him to Eternia. At first, he was acting rather hostile towards her. He came from Florem, where he had been abandoned by his mother and disregarded by the women, so he distrusted the newly met girl. However, that did not last long. Edea, as she was introduced to him, tried her best to befriend Alternis. She was a rather loud, nosy and stubborn kid. While he preferred to spend his free time in silence, she kept on talking and iterrupting his thoughts. At first he would just cover his ears or leave the room, but it didn't work in the long run. There was one thing Edea hated more than silence, and it was being ignored. Whenever Alternis tried to escape her ranting, she would chase him down and complain even louder than before. The boy wondered whether she was doing it on purpose or if she was simply unaware of his level of irritation. He was sure of one thing, though.

He hated her.

But after a few weeks he figured out he had no choice but to put up with his new friend. When the Grand Marshall decided that Alternis got used to his new home, he gave him a private tutor. The boy had no education, so he had a lot of catching up to do. Sadly for him, Edea quickly found out he couldn't read. She poked fun at him at first, but one day her father overheard her and scolded her for making inapproperiate jokes. After being reminded that she was still practising reading herself, the blonde girl got embarassed. Alternis couldn't help but smirk, too. He knew that the only way to make her eat her own words was to surpass her. So he started studying hard, with a new goal in mind.

He didn't like her.

It was only a matter of time before Alternis caught up to Edea's level of knowledge. Surprisingly, her stubborness concerned learning as well. She couldn't focus on studying, instead she kept on thinking about fighting. Talking, too. Every time they spent their free time together (Alternis had no choice), she would pick up her toy weapons and force him to fight her. He was rather reluctant to do so, since they hadn't had any proper fighting lessons yet. After some time spent together Edea realised her usual loud methods didn't work on the boy. She got her own way to forcing him to do what she wanted. It was a simple, yet cute pout. Despite his dislike towards her, he couldn't refuse her. Even if he did try, her face was getting more and more heartbreaking, and Alternis wasn't cruel. So in their spare time they would do small battles with wooden swords. Suprisingly, he realised she wasn't that bad when she had her serious attitude on.

He didn't mind her.

Two years were enough for Alternis to gain the basic knowledge. Although Edea had the privilege of being Eternian and she had known about their land's history better, he managed to surpass her in different subjects. Their sparrings weren't helping her either. They only set her mind on getting better in wielding a sword and practising the movements, so Edea lost her focus of studies completely. Alternis, on the other hand, could perfectly divide his thoughts between fighting and learning. But since both him and Edea hadn't got any professional training, their level of warrior skills was equal. Soon the Grand Marshall decided it was time for them to get assigned to a proper training. They entered the Eternian officer's school the same year, but due to their age gap they ended up in different classes. While Edea quickly made new friends, Alternis found himself rather lost in the new surroundings. He had been brought up in the Central Command, so he didn't know anyone from outside. With so many strangers around, he realised he wanted to have at least one familiar face around. His new classmates weren't too friendly towards him either. His Floremese complexion was still noticeable and he quickly proved himself to be the best in the class. In the end he was forced to spend his breaks by himself. He never minded being alone, but he was feeling _lonely_. Fortunately for him, a certain annoying girl hadn't forgotten about him. Edea noticed Alternis sitting on the school corridors by himself, so she approached him from time to time to strike up a friendly conversation. And whenever she did so, he felt a bit better. Even if everyone else didn't want to talk with him unless necessary, the girl with her black bow always dropped by. Their topics were usually something silly or not important, but Alternis didn't care.

He liked her.

Four years passed quickly and both Edea and Alternis graduated on top of their classes. They were equally happy about their achievements except for one detail. Everyone congratulated Edea and she became the most popular girl in her class, while Alternis's classmates were looking at him with spite. But he didn't mind. In fact, he had stopped caring during the first year. The only friend he ever needed was Edea. He was a bit surprised how numb he had grown towards people's hate. And soon it became the very reason for Grand Marshall's choice of the boy's future. After finishing the school, Edea's father chose their career paths. His daughter was to join Master Kamiizumi's dojo, while Alternis was to undergo the training for the Dark Knight. The girl got upset when she heard the news, because it meant they would get separated completely. She had no choice but to obey, so Edea decided to spend some more time with Alternis before they would leave the Central Command for their trainings. Over the years they both grew so fond of each other that Alternis didn't even remember how she had used to annoy him.

He really liked her.

Finally the Dark Knight asterisk bearer took Alternis for training. Edea had only heard rumours before, so she got a bit anxious about her friend. However, before they completely parted ways, the boy promised her he would be fine. He didn't want to make her worried, because he knew there was a special purpose to his training. He had to become strong to protect Edea. Ever since he had been brought to Eternia, the Lord Marshall had been telling him that Alternis would be his daughter's bodyguard. And completing the Dark Knight training was the last step to become strong enough. It was also the hardest challenge in his path. The Dark Knight job required a lot of strength, not only physical but also the willpower. Alternis had to go through a series of test that felt more like cruel tortures than a preparation for fights. His life nearly became hell, and noone would help him. But he knew he had to overcome all difficulties, withstand all injuries, everything for Edea's sake. She had her own training at the same time, so if Alternis was to become stronger, he had no time to lose on crying over his fate. He decided to hold onto this thought, because it was the only thing that kept him sane. Imagining Edea's smile as a reward for this efford was something he would do whenever he felt like giving up. However, even that image started to fade away in his mind over time. By the time the training was over and Alternis became a full-fledged Dark Knight, he had forgotten how his friend looked like. And that's why, on his way to the Central Command to report to Lord Marshall, he decided to start a journal of his future missions. He wanted to draw Edea's face so that he would never forget it ever again. But before he got to the Council's room, he saw her. She wasn't supposed to be there, and yet she stood in front of her room. That beautiful sight Alternis had forgotten... And suddenly, he felt a sting in his heart.

He loved her.

But he could not tell her. Edea quickly fleed when she realised she's been spotted. And the Dark Knight couldn't waste his time, either.  
A year passed and he became a member of the Council of Six. Meanwhile Edea was admitted to the Sky Knights. Their paths were drifting more and more apart. Or so Alternis had been thinking. Soon after the grand marshall's daughter left Eternia, she betrayed the Dutchy by joining the Wind Vestal. When the man first heard the news, he couldn't bvelieve it. He knew he had to approach Edea and ask her directly. He had to convince her. But when he aboarded the stolen airship, she refused to listen to him and was ready to fight to protect her new friends. Alternis couldn't bring himself to cross swords with her. He shattered their sky stone and fleed to Eternia, too shocked to take any other action. And it became only worse past that point. The reports about the Wind Vestal's whereabouts were only foreshadowing her upcoming arrival in Eternia. It was only a matter of time before Alternis would have to fight them. But apparently that wasn't to happen in their country. The Lord Marshall was planning on stopping them by himself. But in case of his failure, Alternis was told to leave Eternia and wait for a pillar of light to appear somewhere in Luxendarc. The final battle would take place there. After a week had passed, that fateful day came. The Dark Knight was guarding the mysterious light when he noticed the Grandship approach it. He knew it was his last chance to stop them. His last chance to get Edea back. Last chance to confess... And yet, he lost. In the end, he was too weak. His helmet broke into pieces under the final blow dealt by Edea's Ise-no-Kami. With the last of his strength, Alternis slowly backed off to the ship's side. It was all over. In a moment they were going to vanish. The Dark Knight stumbled and fell off the airship. He closed his eyes, prepared for the death. Because after all...

He could not live without her.

* * *

A/N: I've read some Alterdea fanfics and realised that in most of them, Alternis got friendly with Edea very quickly. Meanwhile I thought, that if he had been abandoned in Florem, where men couldn't stay, he would rather not trust Edea at first. So there it is, another one of my scribbles because I'm in love with a character. Also, I'm sorry if this is all happening too fast or something. My friend said it was fine though, so I trust her D


End file.
